And Your Eternal Slumber
by Safer-Ninquelas
Summary: Sephiroth awakens after traveling through the Lifestream for a few years. He suffers from amnesia but what if an old companion can jog those memories back...and even ones that he struggled to keep hidden even from himself?
1. Forgetfulness

_First fanfiction! Hope you all enjoy it :D_

_Final Fantasy 7; going on during Dirge of Cerberus; YAOI_

_Sephiroth x Genesis. Nothing hardcore going on in this chapter, but don't worry, it'll get better ;) ~~Safer-Nin~~_

It was night; he could hear the crickets off in the distance and smell the night air drifting around him. Green, cat-like eyes opened to stare up at the sky; it was clear of overcast.

_...Where...am I...?_

The SOLDIER sat up, looking around to take in his surroundings. It appeared to be a demolished area, as if someone let loose a few bombs. A deep crater was nearby, streams of Mako pouring out from it towards the heavens.

_Something must have cracked through the surface.._ he thought, slowly getting to his feet.

That's when everything spun.

" ngh..." he groaned, closing his eyes as he rubbed his head. A few minutes slugged along before Sephiroth was able to open his eyes again, the dizzy spell passing. "I wonder what that was all about.." he mumbled to himself, beginning to walk as he took a look around.

The area was a town once, it looked like. He knew of this place, but he couldn't remember from where...until he came upon a set of graves and tombstones that survived the demolision.

_Loving Memory of Mr and Mrs Rhapsodos_

That simple word suddenly jolted Sephiroth's memory. _Of course..._ he thought, _He was an aquaintence...no..._ He looked at the headstone again, crouching down as he ran slender fingers slowly over the last name.

_...a friend..._

After finding nothing else besides those graves, Sephiroth wandered over to the deep crater in the ground, peering down over the edge. Apparently there was a tunnel down there..

_Don't do it, _A voice said in the back of his mind, _It has nothing to do with you._

"It wouldn't hurt to look...besides," he nudged a rock over the edge to judge the hole's depth; apparently it was a long ways. He may have some trouble returning back out, "I may find answers there."

_The most you will find are monsters and LOVELESS quotations._

Sephiroth frowned. Monster? LOVELESS? Why do those two words strike hatred into his heart? Why was there hatred there in the first place? ...what happened?

He sighed, giving in to the tiny mental voice urging him not to go any further before making his way towards the edge of the destruction.

Until he stepped on a book.

"Hm?" Sephiroth looked down as he pulled his foot away. "What's this?"

The book was upside down and covered in dirt and debris. Picking it up, Sephiroth dusted it off to read the front cover: LOVELESS.

He blinked, almost dropping the book in shock. This was impossible! How could a book manage to survive this wreck? It probably saw better days, but it was still in good condition minus the many dog-ears and tears in some pages. He flipped open the book to the first page, noticing a few written things inserted on the inside cover.

_Property of Genesis Rhapsodos_

He couldn't believe it; this was his copy. Genesis' copy...his friend's copy.

_'Friend?'_ questioned the little voice. _'Isn't he the reason you're in this situation in the first place?'_

Sephiroth looked up at the sky, thinking. Why? What did he do?

_Think, dear. "Monster"? "LOVELESS"? ...what about "Angeal" or "Jenova"?_

"...Mother?" Sephiroth whispered, his eyes widening. That's it. Genesis told him the truth about Jenova. His Mother. He had her...and then...

...then...what happened?

_That boy...the blonde._

Right, they fought, but the boy was stronger. He threw him into the Lifestream with Mother's head. But it was dark after that. Why did he resurface? Better yet, how long was he in there? He had to find out.

Pocketing the book inside his coat, Sephiroth took off down a path hoping it would lead him to salvation.

He wasn't sure how long he was walking, but Sephiroth never grew tired. The sun rose and set 2 or 3 times before he came to a sudden cliffside, a large hole not too far off to his right. For the first time in a few days, Sephiroth stopped, looking around the cave mouth before continuing on.

The cave was dark, narrowing down into a thin tunnel which continued on for about a mile before opening into a wide cavern filled with various rock formations, moonlight pouring it from a hole in the ceiling of the cave. The sound of water dripping was echoing around the area, but apart from that and the sound of his quiet footsteps, there was no noise. Water surrounded a small island of rock in the center, gleaming slightly from the light of the moon. But there was another reflection, and Sephiroth knew it couldn't have been from the water.

In the back of the cavern was a large bubble-like form, the sillouet of a man hovering inside, apparently in a deep asleep. Curious, Sephiroth cautiously advanced upon the bubble until he was in front of it...before jumping back in shock, nearly slipping back into the pool of water.

This man...he knew this man. He had run across his parent's graves. He had found his book lying on the ground amongst the rubble. This man...was Genesis.

How did he manage to find him? Was something...or someone...guiding him? He didn't want to ponder too much on it; he still needed to find Mother. Turning to leave, the book in his coat suddenly slipped out and fell to the ground at his feet, falling open on a page that had a piece of paper tucked away inside. He stooped, picking up the paper and unfolding it to read what it said:

Even if the morrow is barren of promises

Nothing shall forestall my return

To become the dew that quenches the land

To spare the sands, the seas, the skies

I offer thee this silent sacrifice.

" ..'I offer thee this silent sacrifice'.. " he muttered, wondering if this had any real meaning. Suddenly, he felt the air around him begin to twitch with lightning, looking up sharply as the bubble before him began to glow, pulling in all the energy from around it. Sephiroth shielded himself as a blast nearly knocked him down, hearing a dull *thump* as if something dropped. He opened his eyes, suddenly locking with Mako-infused blue ones that stared right back. A smirk slowly played across the other man's lips; Genesis had come back.


	2. Truth or Dare

_Chapter 2! Probably a bit of GenesisxSephiroth fun. :3 enjoy._

- _Time span_

########### _Character switch_

"Hello, Sephiroth," Genesis whispered, slowly getting to his feet as Sephiroth got his own. "Been a while, hasn't it?"

Sephiroth could respond. He wasn't sure how to. Should he answer him calmly or punch him? He merely nodded. Genesis smirked, "You remind me of a lost puppy. Do you even remember me?"

"Of course I do," Sephiroth snapped, tucking the paper he read from a moment ago back between the pages of LOVELESS, "You're the reason I died." Genesis laughed quietly, but Sephiroth hinted a bit of sinister, almost mocking tone behind it. "I told you what you needed to know. How you took it was your own problem. But I'm surprised," he slowly walked past him out towards the water, the lake solidifying beneath each step he took towards the island, "I didn't think you'd remember me, of all people. I heard your mind was lost, and over the years heard more and more about your 'well-being'."

Years?

Sephiroth turned to watch him through narrowed eyes. "How long has it been?" Genesis laughed again. "How sad, not even your precious 'Mother' has been keeping you up to date…"

"Don't play games with me, Genesis!" Sephiroth growled, "Tell me how long I was gone…after-" "The Nibelheim Incident?" Genesis cut him off, his back to him, but Sephiroth could tell there was a look of amusement on the other man's face. "The town in which you burned completely to the ground out of anger towards Shinra? Your very own birth home?" Sephiroth grew quiet, his grip on the book tightening slightly. Birth home? "I was born in Midgar…" he began, but stopped when Genesis turned to face him, now grinning.

"Another lie from those dogs," he said, "I spoke enough times with Hollander to gather enough information about you, out of curiosity, of course. You were born in the Shinra Manor. And…" Genesis chuckled, "to a woman named Lucrecia Crescent."

_Thud_

The book slipped out of his hands. All this time…not only was he lied to by Hojo and the rest of Shinra…but by Genesis as well?

Apparently Genesis read his look as he began to pace around the island slowly, explaining himself. "Yes, I told you about Jenova being your 'mother', and out of all honestly, she is. She is the reason you're loved so dearly, the reasons why you can manipulate people so easily, where your strength comes from…and your wing." He smirked, lifting his left arm off to the side as his own large black stretched out behind him. Sephiroth knew of his wing, but he didn't go around flaunting it like Genesis did. He glanced briefly back at his right shoulder before looking over at Genesis as he began to walk back over to him. Sephiroth tensed as he stopped less than a foot before him. The red head smirked before bending down to pick up the LOVELESS book from the ground. "I wish you would take better care of such glorious things." He said, brushing it off before flipping through it. Watching him read through the book brought a few memories back to Sephiroth, and, for the first for the longest time, he smirked. "...you're lucky it's still alive. I found it in the middle of what looked like a bombing area." Genesis looked up. "Banora? Hmm…"he looked down at the worn pages again. "I wonder how it wound up there…"

"Maybe you dropped it?"

Genesis smiled, laughing quietly to himself. "Maybe I did."

"Then I'm not the only one abusing such 'glorious things'."

Genesis smirked as he looked up again. "You always were the smartass…" he whispered, slowly stroking the side of Sephiroth's face with the back of his hand. Sephiroth took a few steps back, staring. What the hell was that about? Genesis blinked before smiling, shaking his head, the book in his hands closing. "I forgot…you barely remember anything. You're lucky I showed my affection in such a subtle way instead of jumping you right off the bat." He smirked. Sephiroth blinked. Jumping me? …he didn't mean…

"…Genesis…what are you hiding from me?"

Genesis opened his mouth to answer but was cut short from a sudden flash of green from above in the skies, a strong gust of wind following shortly after. A wicked smile crept along Genesis' face slowly. "It looked like Weiss succeeded…" he looked over at Sephiroth, kicking off to hover in front of him. "Let's witness this, Sephiroth. You wouldn't want to miss such glorious destruction, do you?" And with that, he flew straight up out of the cavern, disappearing into the sky. Sephiroth sighed, closing his eyes for a moment as he rubbed his head. He didn't like this; Genesis knew almost too much about him, and yet he was hiding something….something important. But the only way he could find out if he followed, and that is what he did. Stretching his wing from his back, he flew up after Genesis, seeing him waiting about a quarter mile off. But the sight behind him distracted him; a large being standing in what appeared to be the center of midgar, streams of Lifestream pouring up from the Mako reactors surrounding the old Shinra Building into the creature. And then it hit him: this was Omega. This Weiss managed to awaken Omega.

_Why didn't you think of that? Omega takes life elsewhere while we could have ruled this empty planet._

Yes, why indeed? Meteor seemed like a much better idea at the time. Oh well, time passed, things ended, and he shrugged it off, flying with Genesis towards the chaos and destruction.

"Isn't it grand, Sephiroth?" Genesis asked as they sat on a stray piece of steel a fair ways away, watching the scene play out before them. Sephiroth didn't answer. He was racking through his mind trying to remember anything else. He remembered summoning Meteor with the Black Materia when the voice spoke before, and he remembered using Cloud, the same blonde that threw him into the Lifestream years before that. But somehow the kid managed to defeat him…again. What did he keep doing that was wrong? Why wasn't he strong enough?

"Sephiroth?"

Genesis' voice snapped him back to the present, looking at him. "Hm?" "I asked what you thought." "It's…" Sephiroth looked up at Omega again, watching a smaller figure streaking red across the sky around the god. "…beautiful." Genesis smiled, slowly running his fingers across the back of the former General's hand. Sephiroth pulled his hand away, looking sharply at Genesis. "You never explained yourself before. You need to stop touching me like this unless you're going to explain yourself first." Genesis sighed, almost pouting as he watched the silver-haired man for a moment. "Fine. I'll explain." But how he was going to explain, he didn't specify. Before Sephiroth could react, Genesis had placed his hands on the side of his face and dragged him forward, pulling him in a deep, passionate kiss.

##########

If there was one thing he knew would work on Sephiroth, Genesis kissing him should be enough to jolt his body back into remembering it, even if his mind did not. Muscle memory was more powerful than the mind, and from all the times they spent alone together in SOLDIER, he knew this man would never forget those times, no matter what happened to his mind. This man was absolutely beautiful to him, and he was relieved that Sephiroth didn't pull away when he kissed him, and even during it. He wanted more of him; he wanted to return to those old times. It had been ten years since those times. Ten long, hateful years. He sighed as he began to pull away, but a suddenly hand on the back of his head kept him from doing so, and he smiled. It worked after all…

###########

The kiss between them grew stronger as he tangled his fingers into Genesis' soft hair, holding them together. He felt his tongue run slowly across the lips, and he gladly let him in, running his own tongue slowly over Genesis' and into the kiss. He pulled the man closer to him, resting his hand on the side of his neck. If this was his idea of explaining his reasoning, he was doing a damn good job. Flashes of the SOLDIER corridor ran through his mind, and sometimes even a dark room where they both were, talking briefly before it became intimate…_very_ intimate. He was surprised they were never caught by the way Genesis moaned…

He suddenly heard a quiet laugh escape from the other man's throat, causing him to open his eyes slightly to look in question. Genesis was smiling, but it looked like he was trying to hide a smirk too. "Remember now?" Sephiroth nodded slightly, "Somewhat…"

"Well, your mind may be having trouble, but your body remembers everything apparently." He smirked. Sephiroth tilted his head slightly. Genesis pointed down, making Sephiroth look down at his pants.

…_well, aren't you horny._

They spent the rest of that time before Omega talking of things, mainly of Genesis explaining what happened the last ten years that he was told of. Apparently Jenova had a stronger hold over him than he realized, also quirking the idea that the little voice that had been talking to him all this time could be, in fact, Jenova trying to take him over again. Like hell she would. Also from what Genesis told him, they were a "thing" during their SOLDIER days, but it was kept secret between only them, which explained quite a lot. A few hours passed before the first sign of a battle drew their gazes towards sudden explosions. Apparently the red creature, which he found out to be Chaos, was fighting with the rest to stop Omega. The Protomateria must have finally kicked in. But something caught his gaze: a young man with unmistakable pointed blonde hair. It was Cloud. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes, his pupils reducing to thin slits, a small smirk appearing on his lips. He could grab him before without him realizing what was going on, or anyone noticing in that matter. His time was now, he could destroy him now.

But Genesis held him back.

Sephiroth looked at him as the man shook his head. "He doesn't stand a chance against Omega, so he'll lose this battle before the sun even rises." Sephiroth thought on that for a moment before sighing, nodding, but folded his arms, glowering. He swore he heard Genesis giggle slightly. "You're so cute when you pout." He said, leaning over to kiss him again. Just that simple gesture was enough to break his concentration on anything else and bring his full attention towards Genesis. He tilted his head in time to capture his lips, closing his eyes as they held it, deepening gradually. Now that he understood, he wanted more of this man. He wanted his mind to remember those times instead of just his body. He wanted to feel what he felt again…and he was going to gain that tonight. He heard a small groan emit from Genesis' throat as he pushed the man back onto his back, leaning over him to straddle his stomach, slowly running his hand up beneath his shirt and over his chest. He didn't care if anyone happened to see them, this was for them only. The kiss filled with passion as Genesis gripped his hair slightly, their tongues tangling with one enough. Clothes needed to go…now.

But, naturally, they were interrupted again.

Opening his eyes slightly to glance over, Sephiroth watched as Omega suddenly began to turn to stone, four large wings exploding from all sides to push it up towards the sky, causing the wind to pick up around them. He heard someone scream, "Omega's ascending!" and a growl from above as Chaos flew up to chase him. "We should take this elsewhere…" Genesis sighed, "If the world is about to end, best not be near here." He sat up, causing Sephiroth to sit back on his knees. He heard Genesis mumble, "Nice timing…I was just about to get some action for the first time in ten years…" Sephiroth couldn't help but laugh.

They flew to a different location other than the cave Genesis was in. According to the Deepground member, he had been sleeping there for nearly six years and he wanted to see what all had changed. In fact, he wanted to return to the remains of Banora, and Sephiroth didn't argue. He asked Genesis about the crater and possible tunnel that was near the center, but Genesis only smiled and assured him that "he will find out soon enough". Not too much later, they came upon the wreckage Sephiroth found himself waking up on only days ago. Genesis led him down into the crater and through a separate room. Sephiroth looked around when he noticed a desk off to his right overgrown with roots and nature, but a journal was visible. Genesis watched him before turning his gaze over to the book, walking over to pick it up. "…I thought this was lost…" he spoke to mainly himself, flipping through the pages, a smile slowly appearing on his face the further he read through, apparently remembering back. Sephiroth walked over to wrap his arms slowly around his waist, holding the man gently back against him. Genesis glanced back as he closed the book. "But there is always some other time to remember the past. It isn't going anywhere." He smiled as he took Sephiroth's hand to lead him through the remainder of the tunnel to another cavern filled with layers of rock paths and crystal formations. "There are a lot of Mako fountains here." he explained, gesturing towards a few of the larger crystals. Sephiroth couldn't remember seeing anything else so beautiful…well…one other thing.

They walked on until they reached a more nature-grown clearing, a doorway nearby that lead into another room. Sephiroth stopped when he noticed a headstone nearby. He recalled seeing these as they walked but thought nothing of it until now. He walked over to it to read it, only to find that it had quotes from LOVELESS carved into it. Was this Genesis' doing?

"Now you're the one stalling," he heard Genesis purr near his ear, causing him to smile slightly. "I know LOVELESS is one of the greatest works, but there is plenty of time for us to…reenact it." Sephiroth felt a gentle tug on his earlobe from Genesis' teeth and he knew Genesis was tired of waiting. And so was he. So with that, they made their way into the separate room, the quote ringing softly through his mind in Genesis' beautiful voice:

_My soul, corrupted by vengeance_

_Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey_

_In my own salvation_

_And your eternal slumber._


End file.
